The present invention is directed towards a fire fighting monitor and especially to a monitor having a plurality of outlets and nozzles thereon which can direct a plurality of separate streams of fluid onto a fire.
In the past, a variety of monitors have been provided for use by firemen for controlling the flow of water onto a fire. Typical monitors are either permanently fixed on a fire truck or are sometimes portable. All monitors provide for connection to a fire hydrant or other water source and then for directing the flow of water through a single outlet having a nozzle attached thereto for directing water onto a fire. Monitors provide for the rotation thereof to enable directing the spray onto a fire. A typical monitor provides for rotating the monitor on its base through a 360.degree. circle and then for moving the monitor through an up and down pattern so that the nozzle can be directed in any direction desired from the fire truck.
In contrast to prior art monitors, the present invention is directed towards a monitor having plural outlets and nozzles, each one having a circular swivel joint to provide flexibility in directing each nozzle separately and also allowing each nozzle to have a separate dispersion control and all of which nozzles can be controlled by one fireman simultaneously while being directed at one or more separate fires. This application is an improvement over my prior U.S. Pat. No. 4,793,557 for a Firefighting Monitor and improves the operation and control of the spray nozzles.
Typical, prior art nozzles for fire fighting can be seen in the following U.S. patents.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,183,410 to Dion-Biro, a fire fighting nozzle assembly has two discharged conduits and can be rotated on its base with two separately controlled discharge conduits.
In the U.S. Pat. to Roser No. 2,342,757, a nozzle for use in placer mining, firefighting, or spraying with water is illustrated having two swivelable nozzles mounted to a spherical terminal member and allows the nozzles to be swiveled in a variety of directions on the spherical terminal member. In the Gorter U.S. Pat. No. 557,799, an adjustable nozzle for hose pipes is used for handling a stream of water for firefighting purposes and uses a ball joint to permit the nozzle to be moved in different directions. The Chew U.S. Pat. No. 2,111,553 is a monitor or mining nozzle for connection with a high pressure water supply. The Pougnet U.S. Pat. No. 1,102,354 is an apparatus for the discharge of water or other liquids in a spray over a comparatively large area and uses a plurality of outlet nozzles from a common supply source. The Jones U.S. Pat. No. 5,425,505 is a portable ground standing fire fighting monitor which has a support platform intended to be placed horizontally on the ground and has a water gun with a curved flexible inlet tube having an inlet end and a curved discharge head having an outlet end. A water tight ball bearing swivel joint couples the discharge head to the curved flexible tube and a crank wheel is rotated to enable the swiveling discharge head to be swiveled from side-to-side.
The present invention is an improvement over my prior patent for a fire fighting monitor apparatus No. 4,793,557 and provides a plurality of discharge nozzles each mounted on a swivel nozzle head which can be rapidly adjusted. Further control is provided by the rotation of each discharge outlet arm. Each outlet arm has an elbow therein so that when the arm is rotated, the nozzles are rotated for vertical adjustment of the spray. Each arm is rotated with a hand crank to allow for movement while in use.